


So It Is Written

by Spinjitzu_Fics



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: ... Harumi might exist idk yet, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fate & Destiny, Gen, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, Lloyd has flashbacks, Post-Possession, Post-Season/Series 05 Finale, Running Away, Screw Destiny, So maybe SoG themes, callbacks to s5, rated for language, the original characters haven't popped up yet but they will eventualy, yeah i made that a thing again., you remember that thing where Lloyd had the 'potential for all elements' or whatever?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-17
Updated: 2018-09-17
Packaged: 2019-04-24 03:44:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14347296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spinjitzu_Fics/pseuds/Spinjitzu_Fics
Summary: Lloyd's destiny is, honestly, taking a turn for the worst. He'd probably be way more upset about it if he wasn't so tired of being a hero. It's not like he can do anything about it anyway, though.(Updates on the 18th of each month)





	1. Prologue

The word “destiny” left a bitter taste in Lloyd’s mouth each and every time he heard it.

He never really wondered why that was, because he _knew_ why. He knew exactly why even the thought of “destiny” made his stomach do somersaults. It all started with the whole Green Ninja bull, and he knew it. It all started with the knowledge that he was “destined for greatness” and that he had to defeat his father.

He guessed that was probably what _started_ it, at least - having to fight his father because destiny said so. At the very least it was a good motivator for not enjoying the idea of destiny.

Sure, most people seemed to think that being destined to defeat a great evil was a good thing. It was the mark of a hero. The mark of someone to be admired. But Lloyd knew he was no one that anyone else ought to be looking up to, and defeating his father hadn’t made him feel any more like a hero than he had beforehand - which is to say: _not at all._

He still felt like a little kid hopelessly thrust into a role he never wanted to take. And his “destiny” still made him cringe. It wasn’t a good thing, for him. It was bad. It was very, very bad. It made him into a hero, sure. It made him strong. Admirable for some strange reason.

But it also painted an enormous target on his back for any and every villain in Ninjago to shoot at.

Not really something he enjoyed dealing with, for fairly obvious reasons. Who _would_ enjoy having to watch their back every second of every day, after all? It wasn’t the kind of thing that he could imagine anyone wanting to go through. And yet, everyone said they wanted to be a hero. Everyone wanted that kind of destiny - they wanted to be destined to be hunted down by evil at every turn, because all the stories made it seem like it was the other way around.

It wasn’t. Good didn’t hunt evil so much as it was a beacon for it; if you were good enough, eventually evil would seek to snuff you out or convert you to their cause. Lloyd had experienced both, although he didn’t really enjoy admitting to the second. He had been sorely attempted to agree, on some occasions… And when he was a child, he could have been very easily swayed.

Heck, he could be pretty easily swayed now, too.

Anything to get out of this constant game of hide and seek he was playing with the forces of evil, really. If converting could do that…

But, no. It was a bad idea, and he knew it wasn’t what was in his future. He knew that very well. He was destined to be a hero ‘til the end, and he guessed he could deal with that, even if it bothered him to think about. Even if he really didn’t want to deal with it anymore.

He just kind of wished he knew how many more times he was going to have to save the world before he was done, you know? How many more times the world would need his power before he could retire quietly. Maybe get the tea farm back from Ronin, or rebuild Wu’s old temple, and live out the rest of his life in relative peace.

Yeah, that sounded pretty good, actually. And maybe, one day, he’d have ninja of his own to train, and he could help them along in their destinies… Much more proactively than Wu ever had, though. He’d give them all the information he had the moment they needed it, and not a second sooner or later. And of course he’d hope and pray that none of them had quite the same kind of destiny he and the others had - no one deserved something like that.

He was mulling all of that over, as it happened, when he was approached by someone he did not recognize. Someone in a robe, hood up, and…

Oh.

This was someone from the Cloud Kingdom.

What in the world could they want?

“Lloyd.” They said. They sounded male, but in his recent experience that didn’t mean much. “I must speak to you.” They glanced at the other Ninja, all doing their own thing, but watching out of the corner of their eyes. “... _Alone,_ preferably.”

“Alright.” He agreed, because, really, what harm could someone from the Cloud Kingdom do him away from their scrolls? And what harm would they _want_ to do him, anyway?

He led the monk to a semi-secluded area and turned to him. For a moment, it was quiet between them, and then the monk began to speak. Lloyd listened attentively, drinking in all that was said. He filed all of the knowledge away for later, even as his stomach turned in his gut in response to it.

He’d like to reiterate that the word “destiny” left a bitter taste in his mouth. Now more than ever before. And, honestly, he really wasn’t sure how that was possible, but it seemed that it was. Somehow, some way, the taste the word left behind now was worse, more bitter, more intense.

At least he had his answers now, though, he supposed.


	2. Chapter 1

The knowledge of what was to come did not comfort Lloyd anywhere near as much as he had thought (or rather hoped) it would. He guessed that was fair, though. If it had comforted him, he’d have had to worry about himself. He’d have had to worry for his mental health if the knowledge he received made him feel  _ good _ in any manner.

The only part of it that really stuck with him was the knowledge that he would be alone in what was coming, and that it would not end well. He couldn’t take his friends into this battle, not the way he normally would at the very least. He couldn’t fight with them by his side - if they fought, it had to be of their own volition and only after he had done all he could. They could not fight to protect or assist him. They couldn’t even know that he needed help until it was too late.

That knowledge was, in part, what drove him to his current actions.

And what were those actions, you may be wondering? Well, first and foremost he was trudging along an empty street in the city on his own. He was in casual clothes. Civvies. Because he didn’t want to be recognized if he could avoid it. He wanted to stay anonymous for as long as he could.

His hood was pulled up, obscuring his face from view. His weapons were back with the others, who didn’t yet know he was gone… Except for Zane. Zane knew where he was. Zane knew what he was doing. And Zane was sensible enough to keep it a secret for him - after all, if Lloyd had to go into the coming battle alone, he wanted to be used to it by the time it came around, and the only way to do that was to leave.

So that was what he was doing.

He’d packed up what he could feasibly take with him, which mostly consisted of clothes, and he’d snuck out of their current lodgings. He wondered if this was on any level similar to the feeling his father had had leaving Wu behind, but he doubted it. He was leaving because he needed to - his father had left largely because he wanted to in order to get away from Wu.

Just another way they were different, he supposed.

Anxiety rolled his stomach, made him feel sick, but he ignored it the best that he could. There was no going back, now. This was what had to be done. He’d just have to get used to the constant feeling of dread, he guessed.

He nervously fiddled with the strap of his backpack over his shoulder, glancing around from beneath his hood. The sun had long since gone down - the streets bathed only in the intermittent white, blue, or orange lights of the street lamps. He paused in a patch of shadows near a building’s wall, swallowing. His eyes sought out the nearest street sign.

After affirming his current position in the city he took a deep breath and started walking once more. His fingers flickered over the strap of his backpack, feeling out every fiber and imperfection in the fabric. Deep breaths. Just keep walking.

_ Just keep walking. _

He took a right three blocks later, then a left, and then headed straight. The city limits came into view, looming up in front of him like a new monster waiting to be faced. When he reached the spot where the buildings seemed to abruptly cut off, giving way to desert for the next several hundred miles, he stopped. He paused to look over his shoulder at the city he was leaving behind. Paused to feel the ache in his chest at the thought that he wouldn’t be seeing it again for quite some time. Paused to mourn the loss of the friendships he was abruptly ending by doing this. He took his time, standing there half-facing the city for as long as he felt was necessary, watching as the billboards in the distance changed displays and occasionally glitched out, as was their custom. One changed to show the time - about three in the morning. He just kept watching until he felt sure of himself once more.

And then he forcibly quashed the pain and sorrow he felt, stomped out the overwhelming love he had for this city and everyone he was abandoning, and he turned and began the lonely journey out into the desert.

He didn’t know, yet, where he’d go. He hadn’t actually thought that far ahead.

But he’d done that for a reason, of course. If he had thought that far ahead before he left he’d have told Zane. And Zane, despite having the sense to keep a secret for him until the time came for it to be unveiled, likely wouldn’t be able to keep knowledge of where Lloyd actually was away from the others. He may have been a robot, but he still had feelings. And those feelings wouldn’t allow him to straight-up lie to the others about knowing where Lloyd was if he knew for certain. Lying here and there to keep a secret because he’d been asked to was one thing, particularly if he wasn’t likely to be questioned on it, but to have to lie constantly was another.

The others weren’t likely to ask Zane directly why Lloyd had abandoned them. And if they didn’t ask him directly he wouldn’t feel near as obligated to tell them as he would if they did ask directly.

Regardless, Lloyd didn’t know where he was going, but he also didn’t really care. He guessed for now he’d just try to get as far away from Ninjago City and his friends as was humanly possible. He’d have to avoid places they’d think to look, for sure, which meant that he couldn’t go to Stixx, and he couldn’t hide out in the bunker in the desert. He’d have to find somewhere else.

The sun was coming up already when he managed to find a temporary hiding spot.

It wasn’t much, just a small tunnel in the side of a rock that led, after a couple minutes of crawling, into a decent sized cave, but it would work for now. He only needed to rest until nightfall and then he could be on his way once more.

He’d have to travel by night if he wanted to stay under the radar, unfortunately.

Probably a good thing he’d always been more of a night owl, huh?

He snorted, laid his backpack down on the floor of the cave, and took a deep breath. The cave was a little chilly, he had to admit. Nothing he couldn’t handle. He flopped onto his side, using the backpack as a pillow, and pulled his jacket tighter around himself. He would have to get used to this, he reminded himself. He’d be doing this for a long time until he found a proper shelter. So he let out a shuddering breath through his teeth, swallowed down the discomfort, and soon enough drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This and the prologue are some of the shortest chapters I've written in a long time. I gotta say it feels nice to write <2000 words again but they'll probably start getting longer as the story picks up. Anyways thanks for taking the time to read this!
> 
> I do writing requests! Hmu on my [tumblr](https://spinjitzu-comics.tumblr.com/) for that, some art, or if you just wanna chat.


	3. Chapter 2

The others didn’t exactly start panicking right off the bat when they woke and found that Lloyd was not with them. It wasn’t unusual for him to sneak off on his own from time to time, and chances were that he would arrive back soon enough. They contented themselves with this for the time being and went about their own routines.

It wasn’t until after noon came and passed that they began to worry.

Under normal circumstances, Lloyd would have returned by then, apologizing for taking off and offering to share whatever spoils he’d gotten from whatever little errand he’d run. He liked to take off early in the morning (or in the middle of the night) to help people and get some spending money for it. It was just something he did sometimes.

But he was never gone for long. He always returned fairly soon. The idea that he had not yet arrived by one in the afternoon was worrisome to say the least.

Still, they knew better than to worry  _ too _ much. Sometimes Lloyd ran late. It wasn’t normal for him to have not arrived yet, but it certainly wasn’t cause for complete panic… Not yet at least. That could wait.

That didn’t mean that they didn’t start searching around that time, however, because they most certainly did. They set out at 1:30 and asked around to see if he’d been spotted anywhere nearby. Zane participated, despite knowing that Lloyd had left and likely wasn’t coming back, because he knew not participating would be taken as a sign he knew what was wrong. He didn’t want to let on to them that Lloyd had ditched them, didn’t want to let on that he  _ knew _ and that he knew  _ why. _

It was difficult keeping secrets from them.

… But it was by no means impossible.

He kept his mouth shut for the majority of the day, only really speaking when it was required, only commenting on the situation at hand to tell his friends to stay calm and think rationally. Cole had no problem listening to his advice. The others, however…

Kai very nearly blew up on him (in the literal sense), Jay tried to listen but only ended up worrying more in silence, causing him to shock himself, and Nya glared at him with as much venom as she could muster (which was a lot) for a long moment before she sighed and looked away, telling him that he was right but calm wasn’t really something she was good at.

Oh well. He’d tried. He couldn’t be successful 100% of the time - that would be rather boring. Sometimes the trying was the best part, although that definitely wasn’t true here. It would be best if he was successful so that his friends would stop panicking and chasing their thoughts in circles. It wasn’t as if there was anything he could do, though - he’d already done the best that he could and it hadn’t done anything for the majority of his teammates.

By nightfall, Kai was beside himself with worry, as was Jay, and Nya was well on her way to joining them. Only Zane and Cole were even remotely calm, Zane because he knew Lloyd was alright and that he’d left on his own, and Cole because he knew Lloyd could take care of himself, for the most part, and would probably return home within the next few days.

… He hoped so, at least.

Zane did not say anything to contradict this belief, not wanting to crush his hopes or bring suspicion upon himself.

He was not surprised in the least when the others tried to stay up to search through the night, but he managed to talk them into returning home instead. They were reluctant, to say the least, but when he reminded them that they would need their strength to continue searching, and they had to rest to have that strength, they agreed and headed home. Against his better judgement, he stayed out in the city, promising them that he’d search on his own since he was a nindroid and didn’t require sleep.

It was a blatant lie, of course, and he felt absolutely terrible.

Still, he watched them head back home, and then he set about wandering the streets for the night. He did not actively search for Lloyd, as he was certain Lloyd had already skipped town and was likely hiding out somewhere else, but he did keep an eye out for him. It helped him feel better, a bit, though the utter lack of Lloyd’s presence was admittedly starting to get to him. He knew that Lloyd was probably completely fine, of course, but he couldn’t help worrying.

Anxiety was a terrible, terrible feeling, and he wished very much that he could get rid of it somehow… Although he supposed everyone did.

When the sun began to peek over the horizon the next morning, he had pretty much resigned himself to LLoyd’s disappearance, and to the fact that he was likely going to be spending a very long time lying to his friends about it. It wasn’t something that he could reasonably avoid. Telling his friends the truth would go against destiny. Lying to them was the only way, as much as he hated it.

He arrived back at the Bounty just as the others were rousing themselves from bed. At his solemn expression, they all grew solemn themselves.

It couldn’t be helped.

* * *

Lloyd didn’t do much except walk after he woke. He walked through the astonishingly cold desert toward the nearest town, and once he arrived there he kept walking until he found a store that was still open. What little money he currently had went toward some food and water for his journey. he knew it wasn’t wise to use all of it in one go, but it was even less wise to sacrifice even vaguely comfortable survival for creature comforts right now or later on.

After loading his backpack with the supplies he’d bought, he started walking again.

Once back in the desert, he encountered only one person the entire night - a serpentine traveler. They exchanged brief greetings, directed each other to the nearest town in the direction they were heading, and then went their separate ways. It was a terribly tense encounter, just like the ordeal in the shop was. However, it was also somewhat relaxing. It had barely been a day and he’d already started to miss human interaction.

Oh well. He was sure he could survive.

He found another cave near dawn and decided it was best not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, but I hope you enjoyed!  
> Next month it should start getting a little more interesting.


	4. Chapter 3

 “You’re _absolutely_ sure you don’t know anything about Lloyd’s disappearance?”

Internally, Zane groaned. Externally, he leveled Kai with the least irritated gaze he could currently summon.

Lloyd had been missing for something like a month already, and this was by no means the first time that Kai had asked him this question. In fact, it was more like the thousandth, and as Zane wasn’t one for exaggeration…

For whatever reason, Kai took his calm approach to the situation as a sign he knew what was happening, rather than following the lead of the others and presuming that he was trying to be the level-headed one. Zane supposed he should have expected this, however, because he, like everyone else, knew Kai really wasn’t much for following anyone else’s lead… And just because he was right didn’t make it any less irritating, Zane had to admit. In fact, it made it _worse._

“Yes, Kai.” Zane said flatly, “I am _absolutely,_ 100% certain that I don’t know anything about Lloyd’s disappearance.” The lie tasted bitter on his tongue. He hated it. “Your constant inquiries will not change that.”

Kai responded to his vaguely irritated and exasperated expression with a full-on glare. “You _have_ to know something! You’d be freaking out like the rest of us if you didn’t!”

Zane closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and pinched the bridge of his nose. He let the breath out slowly. “If I am not calm, no one will be. We will not benefit in any manner from all being crazed with worry.” He opened his eyes and met Kai’s gaze, still somewhat annoyed, “Perhaps I am not responding in the way you believe I should, but I am just as worried as the rest of you nonetheless. I really do not appreciate your accusations.”

Kai was… Fuming. He opened his mouth to retort.

Zane beat him to it, closing his eyes once more. “Kai, taking it out on me will not bring Lloyd back to us.”

At that, he heard Kai’s mouth snap shut. Somewhere deep inside, Zane rejoiced in the sound and the implication that he had managed to talk some sense into the fire ninja. At least for the time being. Surely Kai would be back on this crap later, but for now… For now he’d shut him up.

He opened his eyes and found Kai’s expression to be… Conflicted. Somewhere between understanding and angry. Like he knew Zane was absolutely correct but was not happy about that knowledge. Zane supposed he could understand those feelings. In a situation like this it was freeing to have someone to blame, and not having anyone to blame could be stressful. He imagined it was probably even more stressful to be completely convinced that someone played a part or knew who was to blame, only for that person to continually shut you down about the subject and redirect you in some way.

Zane took a breath. “Kai, I know you are frustrated.” He watched the other’s expression carefully for signs he should just quit while he was ahead and be quiet, “I am… Deeply apologetic for being so harsh today. But you must understand that these constant accusations…” He trailed only for a second to gather the words he needed for this, “They’re painful. Frustrating. I do not like being accused of things and I know I should not have snapped but I am very much…” Another pause, “Overwhelmed.” He decided, “And I would very, _very_ much appreciate if you would stop asking me if I know anything, because I don’t, and I don’t want to be angry at you.”

Kai’s expression had lost some of it’s anger as he spoke, and now he bit his lip, looking at the ground. “I… You… You’re right.” He sighed, “I shouldn’t be taking it out on you. I’m sorry I keep asking you, but I just…”

“It makes sense to you.” Zane said understandingly, “I know. It is reasonable to assume that I, more than anyone else, knows something, and that’s why I have been trying to calmly diffuse this before you managed to convince the others and I had to do something to prove I’m telling the truth.”

Kai winced. “You… Put up with a lot of crap, Zane.” He told him.

“I love my friends unconditionally.” Zane replied with a shrug, “If I must work a little harder at times in order to keep things somewhat normal, then so be it.”

Unexpectedly, Kai hugged him. Tightly.

Zane froze (internally he laughed at that particular phrasing) for a moment before hugging back.

After a few moments Kai started to pull away, and Zane allowed it, straightening up and cocking his head to the side. Kai acknowledged the tilted head and merely shrugged. Zane forced down the bubble of frustration at the lack of an actual answer and nodded, turning his attention elsewhere for the time being.

“It will be night soon,” He said, “We should head back to the Bounty and get some rest.”

Kai nodded his agreement, and together they made their way back to their flying home. Zane could only hope this discussion wouldn’t come back to bite him later - that he wouldn’t be outed as having lied to Kai outright.

* * *

Having a two day head start had certainly been beneficial, Lloyd had to admit, because it gave him ample time to put a lot of distance between himself and his friends. It also gave him plenty of time to pick a direction he thought his friends wouldn’t immediately check and run with it.

It had been about a month now, and as of late he had to keep his hood up 100% of the time while in a town. He also had to try and disguise his voice on the few occasions he got sucked into a conversation. It was not, in any capacity, fun. He hated it. And he also hated that he’d almost completely run out of supplies by about a week ago and had had to resort to… Ugh… _Stealing_ some from a store.

He’d used his powers to short-circuit the security systems, cameras included, and then just grabbed what he needed once he got the door open. He loaded up on water and non-perishables, even grabbing a new bag so he could carry more, all so he wouldn’t have to do it again any time soon. He felt sick the entire time. He also, on a whim, snagged a few lighters, a pocket knife, plastic silverware, and some gloves. He used his sleeves to wipe down all the surfaces he’d touched, because he knew a thing or two about fingerprint evidence, and then he booked it as non-suspiciously as he possibly could.

He’d been wandering through nothing but barren desert for about two days now, though, which had been miserable and terrifying for the most part, because there was no cover whatsoever and as such he didn’t feel safe to lie down and sleep. He covered a lot of ground, but he was exhausted. It was currently four in the morning and he’d been awake for three days, almost four.

He wanted nothing more than he wanted to lie down and go to sleep, but he couldn’t. Paranoia kept him awake. Unless he found a cave or an overhang or an abandoned cabin or something, there would be no sleep until the next town… Which was at least another day and a half away.

He winced at the very thought and took another look around him. In the distance he could see what _looked_ like a rundown shack. At best it was another twenty minutes from him, and abandoned. At worst it was out of his way and occupied. Oh well. If nothing else he could sleep under the porch if someone lived there. He doubted they checked under there often and he had no issues sharing the space with a snake or two. Or scorpions. As long as he didn’t mess with them they wouldn’t mess with him, and he had a pretty good track record with _normal_ snakes. They tended to adore him.

The Serpentine? Not so much, in the beginning. They at the very least respected him now, though.

He came upon the shack soon enough, and blessedly saw no lights on within.

Creeping closer, he peeked through one of the tattered shutters and… No one inside. Thank goodness. He crept up the porch steps and tried the door. It swung open without issue, not even a creak to alert nearby creatures of his presence. With a relieved sigh he entered and closed the door behind him, settling down on the dusty floor. It wasn’t ideal, but he trusted the floor far more than he trusted the old, musky-smelling bed in the corner. Who knew what had happened on that mattress…

He shook the thought away and got himself situated, quickly draining about half a bottle of water and scarfing down a can of… Some kind of off-brand pasta. He couldn’t read the label in the darkness, didn’t recognize the taste, and overall didn’t really care.

Against all odds, when he laid down to try and sleep after that… He found he couldn’t. He was still tired - a very nearly soul-deep weariness that he couldn’t shake - but sleep wouldn’t come. He supposed it was anxiety, again, or perhaps the discomfort of not knowing why this shack was abandoned.

To try and ease his mind, he began thinking of what he needed to do in the future. He knew, for sure, he had about a year and a half or more before the fight he’d have to take on alone, which gave him ample time to prepare. Knowing he was, more likely than not, doomed to fail no matter what he did did very little to deter him from trying to prepare himself. Even if he lost, once he had done all he could he wanted to have weakened whatever he was fighting to the point that his friends could take it on easily.

… The question was, however, how was he going to stay hidden for a _year_ or more when he was already running out of places to hide after a month? Where could he go to stay hidden from his friends? What could he do to put them off his trail? Put them off of helping him? Honestly, he didn’t have the slightest clue.

Well.

He did have _one_ idea.

It was a _horrible_ idea, but it was an idea nonetheless… And it would certainly throw his friends off. Make them second-guess helping him. Second-guess finding him. But could he _actually_ do it? Could he _actually_ follow the idea through faithfully enough that it would work?

He chewed on his lip as he thought, absently tearing at dead, dry skin as he did so. If Zane were with him he’d be telling him to stop it right about now.

The very thought made his heart clench in his chest.

His missed his friends. He missed them so much. Honestly all he wanted was to give this all up and go home. He didn’t _care_ about destiny, he didn’t _care_ about what he was _supposed_ to be doing. He _wanted_ to be at home, safe, comfortable and surrounded by his friends. He _wanted_ to never even have to seriously entertain the idea he was entertaining right now.

But it… Didn’t really matter what he wanted, did it? You couldn’t change destiny. Morro was proof of that.

Lloyd had to dig his fingers into his sides and bite the insides of his cheeks to avoid thinking about that any more deeply. To avoid thinking about _Morro_ any more than he already had. The absolute _last_ thing he needed at this moment was a panic attack. He _needed_ to go to sleep.

Just.

Just go to sleep.

He squeezed his eyes shut as tightly as he could and tried to focus on anything else that he could. Uh… Comic books. Video games. His annoying and ever-present candy obsession.

He wasn’t sure when he fell asleep, but when he blearily blinked his eyes open several hours later he knew he had. The sun was not yet down. It still seemed high in the sky. He wasn’t ready to be awake yet. He wanted to stay here until at least nightfall…

He went back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, thanks for reading this month's chapter. I know I said it was probably gonna start getting interesting this month, but, well. It's slow going.  
> Anyways, feel free to leave a comment if you're so inclined, or kudos, and thank you so much to those who have so far. Really makes me feel better about this little mess of a story.
> 
> I do writing requests! Hmu on my [tumblr](https://spinjitzu-comics.tumblr.com/) for that, some art, or if you just wanna chat.


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! It's been a while since I updated this (I think I missed the last two months?) and I'm really sorry about that! I had every intention to update this once a month, but life got in the way. My last semester at Community College was especially guilty of getting in my way because it knocked me on my butt and dragged me into the road to kick my butt some more.  
> That said, here is chapter four at long last, and a little longer than the last chapters partially to make up for the delay and partially because It Is Just That Long. Seriously. It wouldn't stop going - not that I'm exactly complaining lol  
> Anyways, welcome back to So It Is Written! Hope you enjoy the new chapter (and me returning to the update schedule at last).

Lloyd had been walking for several days once more, searching for a more permanent place to make a home out of. Anything would work. A run down house like the shack of a month or so ago, a large enough cave, a ravine with easy access to the bottom…

His legs ached, chest tight from breathing the increasingly humid air that was to be expected as the desert grew closer to the ocean. He wished he could chance riding his dragon, but he couldn’t. Nothing in the world screamed “Green Ninja” like his dragon did. It would get him spotted immediately, and he wasn’t ready for that yet.

Sure, he’d be letting himself back into the public eye fairly soon, sooner than he had originally planned on, but ‘soon’ and ‘right now’ were different things. He needed time to prepare himself before that, and he needed to start preparing as soon as he possibly could… But to do that he had to find a semi-permanent “residence” in which to begin his preparations, and he wasn’t having much luck finding one of those.

A large, almost completely sheer cliff loomed up on his left, and he found himself examining it for possible caves. Even if there was one high off the ground, he was willing to climb to examine it. Even if his limbs would hate him. He  _ needed _ shelter. And after a few supply runs he could build a ladder, or stairs, or something. This was far enough out in the wastelands, far enough from civilization, that no one was likely to come looking for him here. They’d be expecting him to have migrated to another city, most likely, or another small village. Never the desolate wastes he was currently in.

And that was why he felt safe with the prospect of building a staircase or ladder to lead into any high up caves he found. No one would ever find them.  _ Especially  _ not if he was careful about it. Crafty.

As he passed near the middle of the cliff, he found a fairly hidden cave entrance at ground level, large enough for him to enter without crouching. He made a beeline for it, partially to examine it to see if it was fit for using as a base and partially to get out of the sun for a bit. Being in the sun like this was awful, though he could continue to do it if he needed to. He just wanted a break and this was the first one he’d gotten in the past couple of days.

Honestly he was somewhat surprised he hadn’t passed out from the combination of legitimate exhaustion and heat exhaustion yet.

He entered the mouth of the cave, hand on the wall as he made his way inside, sighing with relief at the almost immediate mild drop in temperature. He fished one of his lighters out of his pocket as he edged further down the rather narrow tunnel, flicking a flame to life despite knowing it would be better to use his powers to do so. Especially if he could get control of the other elemental powers to do it - fire in particular. He knew he was capable, he knew he could use the other elements if he tried hard enough... But since he didn’t really feel like trying that at the moment, the lighter would have to do.

He came to the end of the tunnel in short order, finding it opened into a moderately sized cave with a ceiling several metres above his head. The cave floor itself was about a two foot drop from the tunnel, but that could be rectified eventually, either with a ramp of some kind or a couple of stairs.

Considering this, he dropped into the cave and carefully moved about the perimeter, finding a couple of off-shooting tunnels that he resolved to explore later. Given time, he could likely get the tools to make more tunnels if the need should arise, or the tools to make another cave if one of the tunnels happened to be a dead end with no cave.

Really, this whole thing could become quite a beautiful little base if he was able to get all the materials he needed.

He also considered perhaps building a way to get to the top of the cliff from within, if only so he could tell the time of day without exiting entirely - a tunnel straight up would easily send down just enough sun or moonlight. Sunset and sunrise would be somewhat tricky even if he did make that tunnel, but that was alright.

… And, additionally, having a way straight to the top could make for an easy escape or entrance into the cave. Long drops might kill him just like any other person, but if he was smart he could make a way to get down here without breaking any bones if he jumped down the tunnel. And he could make a way to climb out.

Again, he thought of the benefits of having control of the other elements - with Earth he could quite easily create a rudimentary emergency door to close off the main entrance so that it would be more difficult to find it.

That would only be a temporary fix, of course, because eventually this whole cave was going to be outfitted with at least  _ slightly _ higher technology, including an actual mock-rock door at the front. Even if he had to make the darned thing himself.

For the time being, he tossed his bags down onto the floor of the cave, somewhere in the middle, sat down next to them, and ate something. He drained a water bottle, too, for good measure, because he knew that soon enough he wouldn’t have to worry about running out of supplies. He could get as many as he needed whenever he needed. It was gonna be great, once he stopped feeling sick over the methods.

He yawned and stretched before flopping over onto his bag that was primarily filled with clothes, intent on using it as a pillow yet again. He was starting to get used to feeling of sleeping on cold, hard rock, admittedly, but he wasn’t laying his head on it if he could help it. He wanted to be at least  _ slightly _ comfortable.

Not that the bag made for the most comfortable pillow in the world, of course. It was just a mild improvement over the rocks beneath it.

Soon he wouldn’t have to think about this each time he attempted to drift off to sleep - he looked forward to that day. The day when he could lie down on a bed each time he felt the need to rest. The day when he wouldn’t have to wait until he was exhausted past the point of feeling tired to be able to lie down.

It was gonna be great.

He thought a while longer before sleep took him, which was to be expected.

It wasn’t for another day and a half that he woke up, at which point he was groggy and cotton-mouthed. He was ready, by that point, to eat and then begin preparations on his little base of operations.

He gnawed at a protein bar while nursing a new water bottle, giving himself time to wake up and assess his physical state. Was he ready to be out cavorting around and acting like an idiot to gather supplies? And more importantly than  _ that, _ was he ready to make the trek to the nearest town, a couple of hours from his current position, and then make the trek back laden with ill-gotten gains before he could be discovered?

As unfortunate as it was, the answer was no.

He was  _ not _ ready for that.

Sure, he could get there and get back, and he could probably do it in a fairly timely manner, but the issue was that his body wasn’t  _ ready _ for that. He could do it but it would take one  _ hell _ of a toll. If he wanted to be able to start preparations after getting the supplies he needed, he’d need to rest up some more. It was a shame, but a necessity nonetheless. For the time being he supposed he could explore the cave some more and eat a bit more than he had been for the past couple of months.

Oh.

Oh, wow.

Had it really been two months?

…

… It had. It really had. He’d run away two months ago and he was still, more or less, going strong… And he still had at  _ least _ another sixteen months of this ahead of him.

That was scary.

But, consolingly, for the remainder of the sixteen months he knew for sure he was facing, he likely wouldn’t be in anywhere near as bad a situation as he’d been in for the first two,  _ especially _ after he got a base set up.

That was a relief, if nothing else, although he wasn’t so naive as to believe that setting up the base would be easy, or that it would be smooth sailing from there. He knew it wouldn’t be. In fact, from there his life was only destined to get about a million times harder - but that was okay, because at least once he got to that stage of his life his biggest issues would be the destiny looming over his head and the amount of fighting he’d be doing,  _ not _ the constant horrifying worry of whether or not he was going to have enough food, or somewhere to run back to if things went South.

He could handle fighting.

He couldn’t handle having nowhere to go after a fight.

He ruminated a while longer before getting to his feet, pulling out the same lighter he’d used before, and heading for one of the offshooting tunnels. Might as well explore while he was still mostly out of commission.

He paused at the opening, chewing at his lip, and headed back to his bags first, procuring a ball of yarn he didn’t entirely remember grabbing at any point, but was glad for nonetheless. He then made his way back to the tunnel he’d initially headed for and laid down the start of the yarn at the opening, securing it beneath a small rock.

Taking a deep breath, he extinguished his lighter and put it away, summoning a small ball of energy and willing it to float just above his head as he began his trek into the uncharted territory of his new home. He slowly unwound the yarn as he walked, trying to concentrate both on not dislodging the piece at the mouth of the tunnel and keeping his energy ball afloat and lit up.

The tunnel, eventually, opened into a cavern not unlike the first, although it was much deeper. He swore his ears popped on his way down the smooth incline of the tunnel. But that was okay. A deeper cavern meant a safer cavern.

This one only had one other tunnel.

He glanced at his dwindling ball of yarn and decided, heck with it, the tunnel down to here had been straight. He could find his way back up.

With that thought, he yanked hard on the string and heard the distant, faded sound of a rock clattering down the tunnel. His lips twitched as he began to wind the yarn back up into a ball. Before he managed to retrieve all of the yarn, the rock he’d used to hold it down rolled to a stop in front of him, making him muffle a laugh. Well, at least he had a rock to use to anchor the yarn again.

He picked it up and placed it in his jacket pocket, returning to his task, mindless of the fact his lapse in concentration had caused his little lamp to splutter out. He could re-light it once he was done.

And re-light it he did as he picked his way across the new cavern to enter the new tunnel. Lots of new things today.

Again he secured the end of the yarn at the mouth of the tunnel and headed down the slightly claustrophobic tube. At the end of this one was a much smaller cavern, just big enough to, at most, fit a bed. He could work with that. He’d feel safer having a bedroom as far away as possible from the entrance… But he’d have to figure out a way to mark his routes before long. If he went and did any more exploring there was a chance of him getting lost if there were too many tunnels.

He’d prefer to  _ avoid _ going the route of Morro and starving to death in a cavern, thanks.

He shuddered at having brought that memory willingly to mind. He tried very hard to take deep breaths, to calm himself down before he could have some sort of panic attack. But it was no use. He’d already opened up that can of worms and only managing to think about something else would help him.

Problem was, he couldn’t get his mind off Morro now he’d thought about him.

Legs that were by now trembling far too hard to hold him up swiftly went out from under him. He barely felt the impact of his knees to the hard stone beneath them. His breath came in ragged pants, blurred vision watching as the light from his little orb of power fizzled out and he was plunged into darkness. Darkness that only made his chest tighten. He felt like he was  _ dying. _ He knew he wasn’t, logically, but-

But he couldn’t  _ breathe. _

Shaking sobs wrenched themselves from his throat. Shuddering hands gripped at his hair, trying to ground him before he suffocated himself.

And all of a sudden he wasn’t in his little lair anymore.

All of a sudden he was in a different cave, somewhere deep under the waves of the ocean. Icy cold hands gripped him. Icy blade pressed to his throat. A harsh voice he knew all too well was taunting him and his friends. Icy hands no longer touched him. He felt water all around him, just as cold as Morro’s form. Maybe even colder. He went under once or twice, too exhausted to move. Too exhausted to try and save himself. He could hear his friends panicking, hear Kai and Cole bickering, and then suddenly… Suddenly everything was warm again. A tight grip drew him from the water, warm skin touching him for the first time in a long time, and if he’d had the energy for it he might have sobbed with relief.

He became aware of his own fists clenched tightly in his hair. He sucked in a gasping breath, forced his fingers to relax. Hands fell uselessly to his sides.

He didn’t care.

He just stared into the darkness before him, breathing as deeply as he could manage. As his breath evened out, he nodded to himself and convinced his limbs to respond with much less effort this time. He slowly rose, bracing himself on the cave wall. He needed light. He needed fresh air.

He needed to go outside.

He managed to summon another orb of glowing energy and picked up his ball of yarn. Once more the tunnel had been fairly straightforward - it had curved, but never branched off into separate tunnels. He headed back toward the second cavern, rolling up his ball as he went. He snagged the stone with a hand that nearly dropped it because it was still shaking.

He punched out a sigh and shoved the rock into his pocket, picking his way back across the cavern to the tunnel up to the main cave.

Legs began to hold him better as he recovered, but he knew he’d need more time and at least a little fresh air before he could trust himself fully. The only reason he wasn’t running for the surface was because he  _ couldn’t. _ He knew that. His body was weak right now. His body was always weak after… After a flashback like that.

He hated admitting to them. Hated acknowledging them. But that was, without question, what they were, and he knew he wasn’t any less powerful for having them. Logically it made him stronger, because, sure, he’d escaped the ordeal with several problems, but he’d  _ lived. _ He’d survived a possession by someone who had, by all means, been a hell of a lot stronger than he was - maybe not physically stronger, but mentally, and that was what had mattered in the possession. Morro had an  _ indomitable _ will. He couldn’t be swayed. And Lloyd?

Lloyd was pretty firm-minded, but he was no match for Morro when push came to shove. He acknowledged that.

Didn’t like it at all, but he acknowledged it nonetheless.

Morro was mentally stronger than he was. Morro had the mental capabilities to take and keep control of his body for a handful of months. Lloyd had managed to push past him once or twice, sure, but Morro had been  _ distracted _ at those times. Distracted or exhausted. The possession had only ended because Morro, himself, had ended it. Lloyd couldn’t have done anything to stop him.

And Lloyd could admit to that. In fact, he kind of respected the level of resolve that it must have taken for Morro to stay in control for as long as he did.

Respected… But also feared.

And resented.

He shook his head as he arrived in the main cavern, pausing in the middle to leave his ball of yarn and rock in his bag, and also to grab a bottle of water and something to eat. He might as well eat while he was out getting some fresh air.

Making that tunnel to the top of the cavern was pretty much a must now, honestly. For airflow purposes. He’d feel better if he had some kind of ventilation. Wouldn’t feel so suffocated.

Those things in hand, he headed up the last tunnel, emerging out into a cool and fairly dry evening. The sun was sinking below the horizon, a gentle wind blowing only slightly salty air his way. He took a deep breath and moved around the side of the cliff, looking out toward the water. From here he could see that what water was before him was a river flowing inland from the ocean, which was further out, only just visible past another section of land.

… Maybe while he was out he could head to the ocean’s edge?

He humored the idea a bit, but knew it wouldn’t be easy to get to the ocean’s edge. It could potentially take the entire night, and he’d prefer not to exhaust himself further, so instead he picked his way to the edge of the river and sat down. He could venture to the ocean another day. Maybe just head straight over the river and around the low mountains he could see on the next shore.

Maybe he could start fishing for food.

He snorted at the thought and opened his meal.

The sun had sunk completely below the horizon by the time he finished. He watched as it sank, painting the horizon a variety of beautiful colors. In that moment, in spite of how much he’d grown to resent his grandfather and his creation of this world (and, by extension, himself and all the issues that came with his destiny), he found himself thankful for the world again. It was a nice feeling - not resenting the world he’d once been sworn to protect.

But if he wanted to survive in the role he’d decided to play from here on out, it was probably best if he held onto that resentment.

After all, it worked for Morro, didn’t it?

A bitter laugh punched its way out of his mouth at that thought. There he went, comparing himself to Morro again… And willingly using tactics he knew Morro had and would use.

He began to wonder if this was a good idea, after all…

He smothered the doubt as quickly as he could. He’d come this far, he couldn’t afford to have second thoughts  _ now. _ Not after all he’d already done to ensure he fit into his new role. He downed the last of his water and looked around. If he could find some wood, any wood at all, maybe he could make a fire in his little cave. That would ease some of his distress, he was sure. As would making some ventilation.

How to do it, though?

He was reminded of his initial thought that being able to use the Element of Earth would be helpful. That if he had it he could just create a tunnel straight to the top of the cliff… Or mountain. Or whatever it was.

He eyed the home of his lair, then looked around again.

Seeing what appeared to be driftwood on the other side of the river, he frowned, shucked off his jacket, shoes, and socks, and, taking a deep breath, slid into the water. It was a relief to him that the water was fairly warm, not icy-cold. He took another deep breath and waded a little further in before kicking off the bottom and swimming to the other shore.

He found that what he’d thought was driftwood was, indeed,  _ actually _ driftwood, and breathed a sigh of relief. It was a large piece of what he thought might be plywood, which he knew he could break into smaller pieces to use for a while. Given the size he’d say he could make a fire last at least a few hours with it. He pulled it down into the water with him, followed by several other, smaller pieces beneath it, which he piled on top of the larger piece. This way the large piece would have time to dry and he could start the fire with the smaller pieces that were already dry.

He kicked off again, pushing the wood in front of him across the river.

Planting his feet on the muddy bottom, he piled the smaller pieces of wood onto the shore, then moved a bit to the side with the larger piece before doing the same to it. He climbed up next to the wood, shaking himself off. His wet clothes clung to his body in uncomfortable ways, sticking in strange places.

Eventually he got tired of it while waiting for them to dry, so instead simply stripped down to his boxers and laid them out on the ground near the entrance to the cave. They’d likely be caked in sand by the time they were dry, but that was fine. He had other clothes. And, thinking of that, it was about time he changed clothes anyway. This was his second outfit in as many months. They were likely filthy and needed a serious washing.

He shuddered.

He’d have to grab some laundry soap along with his other materials so he could wash his clothes in the river or something.

For now, he guessed he had a new use for his yarn - improvised clothes line, if he could find something to string it up on.

He shook himself off again, ringing out the lower parts of his boxers, then went back for the wood now that his hands were dry enough to handle it. He bundled it up into his jacket, along with his shoes and socks.

He headed back into his lair with his bundle, summoning his little ball of glowing energy once more and breathing a sigh of relief when it was easier to maintain this time. He just had to master the technique, he supposed, and then it would be another of those effortless little tricks. When he emerged at last into the main cave, he considered which room he wanted to have his fire in, and whether starting a fire in here was really advisable.

He sat down his bundle near the entrance, then dragged his other stuff over there, as well.

He had an idea. He just needed time and focus to do it. And room.

_ “That must be why you have the potential to be the greatest Ninja,” _ Zane’s voice echoed in his mind,  _ “You can harness all of the Elemental Powers.” _

His mind backtracked. Moved to him striking the boards in the dojo and knocking everyone backwards. The power of the Scythe of Quakes, used without the weapon itself.

He could use Earth, he knew that. He’d done it before. Although, he’d also done it in a time of mild panic, when he was just trying to save himself. He was sure he could do it again if he tried… But what he wanted (and needed) to do required a good deal more finesse than that. And, more than finesse, it required  _ control. _

_ “With this power, you must be careful.” _ Wu’s voice reminds him,  _ “You must control it before it controls you.” _

He placed himself in what he figured was  _ about _ the middle of the cave, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He looked deep,  _ deep _ within himself, brushing past the stronger pull of the element of Wind, which manifested in his mind’s eye as a pale green, glowing orb with a darker green wind symbol. He pressed deeper than that, past his own Energy, past the weak and glittering remains of his Golden Power, and touched upon the brown orb signifying the element of Earth.

He grasped the power, drawing it up past the others, to the forefront. He fought against the way his mind tried to push it back against his will.

Reaching out with his consciousness, as he’d learned to as the Ultimate Spinjitzu Master, he mapped out the cavern and approximately how far it was to the top of the mountain his lair was within. That done, he grasped the element of Earth tighter and focused on the ceiling of the cavern. He pushed and pulled at the roof until he found a way to open it up that worked best.

The grinding of stone was deafening as he pushed a funnel of rock upwards, but he didn’t allow it to break his concentration.

It was a slow, labrous process. Several times he nearly lost his grip on the element. Several more he thought he might faint from overusing his powers. But that feeling faded just as quickly as it came each time and he ploughed onward. He ploughed onward until he was levitating the cone above the top of the mountain and he was drenched head to toe in sweat.

He grasped at his power a little harder, pushing the cone carefully past the edge and then slowly lowering it just past the sheer cliff, allowing it to settle on the sand and fall to its side. Only the presence of a large rock stopped it from rolling away.

With a strangled gasp, Lloyd’s eyes snapped open and he blinked up at the new hole in the ceiling. His form trembled. But it looked as if he’d managed to make a decent route up to the top of the mountain, even if it would still take some climbing without the use of any other elements.

It was good enough. He felt significantly less trapped, now.

There was just the matter of the enormous rock cone outside, now.

He winced, but chose to deal with it sooner rather than later, and trudged back out into the night.

It was much easier to grasp Earth, this time, and certainly  _ worlds _ easier to reduce the cone into a pile of rubble than it was to remove it from the mountain in the first place. He’d have to make a venture to the top of the mountain at some point, he knew, to assess it and see how well protected the new entrance to his lair was, but that could wait until he had more power. It could wait until he’d slept and replenished his energy by eating.

What he wouldn’t give for some candy right about now.

He headed back inside, some measure of relief coming from the fact that it was no longer pitch black in the main cavern.

Grabbing his things, he removed a single stick from his bundle and used a lighter to char the tip. While he still remembered which tunnel he’d already explored, he figured he may as well mark it. So he indicated that he’d already explored this section by placing an X next to the tunnel entrance. That done, he decided to venture down into the second cavern and have his little fire in there instead, so he wouldn’t feel so… Watched.

The new opening helped him feel less suffocated, sure, but it also made him paranoid that someone was going to find him before he was ready… Meaning he’d just have to hope the smoke flowed up the tunnel and out of the huge hole, which it likely would.

Before heading down, he pulled on a new shirt and pair of pants, sighing with relief at the warmth.

And then he was grabbing his stuff and setting off down the tunnel with his little ball of energy, although it was significantly duller now. He’d rectify that by eating again before he went back to sleep… Although he wasn’t sure he’d have been able to go back to sleep so soon after waking up if not for that little adventure in using other elements… Or that panic attack.

Understandably, both had left him completely drained, and he was surprised he still had the energy to kneel next to his pile of sticks with his ball of light and attempt to start a fire with nothing but a cigarette lighter and said sticks. Then again, he  _ was _ used to running on empty. It was, even before this particular mess, a pretty regular thing for him to exhaust himself. It was just necessary, sometimes. It’d become normal over time and he guessed that could be considered a good thing, in the long run. It would save him a good deal of struggling during this…

This shitstorm.

He laughed to himself when he thought the word. Without Jay around to berate him for it, he noticed he’d been cursing more frequently, though still not as much as some others he could name. In fact, it only really seemed to come up when it felt natural - like calling his current situation a shitstorm, for instance.

He laughed again and the stick he was trying to light finally ignited. With some careful maneuvering he managed to position it in a way that, with a little time, caused the other sticks to ignite as well. He gave a triumphant little noise and backed off as the fire began to grow and illuminate the cavern.

The small fire grew quickly, and he added a few other smaller pieces of wood to keep it from burning out too quickly.

Then, he ate once more - more than he usually ate. He stopped when he actually felt full and was somewhat thankful that that coincided with him having finished a can. He didn’t really have any way to preserve the contents further, so they likely wouldn’t even last until morning if he didn’t finish them.

Yawning, he stretched and arranged his bags so that he could have a pillow, shook the remaining sticks out of his jacket so he could use it as a makeshift blanket, and laid himself out on the cave floor. He really needed to invest in something softer to lie on sooner rather than later, because this?

This hurt his back. A  _ lot. _ Which sounded ridiculous given his body was still that of an older teen and that wasn’t likely to change for several years, so complaining of a hurt back was… Not something he was sure anyone would buy, honestly.

_ Oh no, the poor Green Ninja hurt his back sleeping on the ground. What a big baby. _

He snorted, although not with amusement, at the thought.

Some of his resentment for Ninjago returned with that thought alone, and he temporarily mourned the loss of the peace he’d felt from actually appreciating the place again. His mind turned over on the fact that, as a whole, he loved the actual  _ island _ of Ninjago - didn’t so much love the  _ people. _ He guessed he could blame his dad for that, though. His dad had never been fond of people, even as a Sensei.

He’d say his own dislike of other people was a learned behavior, but…

Well, Garmadon wasn’t ever around for him to learn from, was he?

Another snort, this one brushing the edge of being bitterly amused and not just bitter. He rolled his eyes to himself, then, finally, closed them. He tried to even out his breathing, concentrating only on that so that he could go to sleep. Time honored tradition, right there. Just laying there trying to breathe deep until he got bored and fell asleep.

As usual, it eventually worked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'm gonna address a couple of things real quick that are pertinent to the story!
> 
> First, as noted in the tags (a recent addition to them), I've made Lloyd having the potential to use other elements a thing again. I've only explored it a little bit thus far, as you saw, but I'm thinking of maybe making it a more common tool for him, when he needs it - I dunno yet. I feel it could be... Beneficial to him, while also serving as a point for character development.  
> Second, I should mention that, contrary to my typical headcanons concerning Lloyd's age post-Possession, the Lloyd featured in So It Is Written is about 16/17 years old instead of my usual 13/14 guesstimate. Not a big change, really. However, what I have changed majorly from my normal is that, wait for it... Lloyd's mind has caught up to his body, so he's 16/17 all around. I've made this change primarily for story purposes, but also because of a technicality featured in the Ninjago canon: Elemental Masters age differently than regular people, allowing some of them to live hundreds of years without changing very much. And with that, I thought, "Hey, maybe more time has passed than I usually estimate for (or Lloyd was older than I originally estimated) and the Tomorrow's Tea turned him about 16/17 physically, so now that time has passed, his mind has caught up!" I dunno. I just liked the idea of his mind catching up finally.  
> That said Lloyd is still very much Lloyd and undoubtedly still a child at heart. He probably always will be.  
> Third, this story will, eventually, feature several fan characters, some of whom will be new Elemental Masters (although they're hardly ready to be referred to as "Masters") possessing the elements of Wind (Morro officially passed when he drowned so it was free game), Explosion (cuz that'd be rad), Sleep (couldn't help myself), Magnetism (magnets are neat), Dreams ("But wouldn't that be moot if there's already Sleep?" Not by Ninjago logic, where they have Creation and Golden Power which are basically the same thing Except Not), and Fear (because that'd be SUPER rad).
> 
> Okay, I've rambled long enough. Thanks for reading! <3


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